The messaging app Telegram has become the latest company to file a formal antitrust complaint to the EU over Apple’s App Store.
In a complaint to EU chief competition officer Margrethe Vestager, Telegram, which has more than 400 million users, said Apple should “allow users the opportunity to download software outside of the App Store.”
In June, Ms. Vestager announced two antitrust investigations into Apple, one of which related to the App Store. Apple’s conflicts with developers over App Store rules have also escalated recently.
Both Spotify and Rakuten have previously complained to the EU that the app store represents monopoly power, given that developers have to accept Apple’s terms, including a 30 percent commission on in-app purchases, to get there. to the hundreds of millions of people who use iPhones.
Apple app store fees worldwide are estimated to generate more than $ 1 billion for the company each month.
In its complaint, Telegram disagreed with Apple’s argument that the App Store commission keeps it running.
In a publication this week, Durov said: “Every quarter, Apple receives billions of dollars of third-party applications. Meanwhile, the expenses required to host and review these applications are in the tens of millions, not billions of dollars. We know this because on Telegram we present and review more public content than the App Store will. ”
The messaging app, which was co-founded by Russian tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov and his brother in 2013, accused Apple of stopping the innovation.
Telegram said that in 2016 Apple restricted the messaging app from launching a gaming platform because it was against App Store rules. Telegram risked being removed from the App Store and dismantled the company.
Telegram claimed that this is an example of Apple’s ability to curb innovation thanks to its “monopoly power” in the application market.
“For that same reason, Apple may charge a colossal 30 percent commission on the billing of any digital service provided by the apps on the App Store, including but not limited to sales of the apps themselves or any premium service fees. in those applications, “added the complaint.
Apple has repeatedly denied the allegations of anti-competitive behavior. In a pre-hearing statement to Congress, Apple CEO Tim Cook accepted that the App Store’s scrutiny was “reasonable and appropriate,” but defended his company’s business practices. He said Apple believed that “competition is a great virtue (that) it promotes innovation.”
Telegram, which has been used by protesters, especially in Hong Kong, and attacks by governments such as China, has previously accused Apple of blocking updates, as it faced mounting pressure in Russia. A two-year ban on the country has recently been lifted for Telegram.
The other investigation opened in the EU against Apple concerns Apple Pay. Investigations are likely to take place over several months or even years.
